CHL family mourns the loss of Dale Hawerchuk
It is with heavy hearts that the Canadian Hockey League family mourns the loss of former Barrie Colts head coach, CHL Player of the Year, and two-time Memorial Cup champion Dale Hawerchuk who sadly passed away on Tuesday.
The 57-year-old Toronto native was recently re-diagnosed with stomach cancer after completing chemotherapy treatments for his first battle in April.
It is with heavy hearts that we report the passing of our head coach and friend, Dale Hawerchuk.
On behalf of the entire Barrie Colts organization and our fans, our condolences and thoughts are with the Hawerchuk family. pic.twitter.com/nmEiGaGxXj
— Barrie Colts (@OHLBarrieColts) August 18, 2020
“Dale Hawerchuk was a superstar on the ice, a leader in the communities he played, and most recently a mentor for the many young players he coached,” said CHL President Dan MacKenzie. “On behalf of the Canadian Hockey League I extend condolences to Dale’s family including wife Crystal, sons Eric and Ben, and daughter Alexis, along with his many friends, former teammates and players during this most difficult time. The outpouring of love and support from across the hockey community shows just how significant his contributions were to our game and how fortunate we were to have such an incredible person involved in our league.”
Voted as the 7th best player in #QMJHL history in 2019, Dale Hawerchuk showed during his junior years that he was going to become not only a great player, but also a great man.
We'd like to offer our condolences to all his family and close ones. 🙏
— QMJHL (@QMJHL) August 18, 2020
Hawerchuk played two seasons with the QMJHL’s Cornwall Royals accumulating 286 points over 144 games, won back-to-back league titles, and earned CHL Player of the Year honours in 1981. In addition to his two Memorial Cup titles in 1980 and 1981 he was two-time tournament All-Star, the Most Sportsmanlike Player of the 1980 event, 1981’s MVP, and shares the single series record with eight goals.
“A tremendous hockey man and an upstanding person.”#HawerchukStrong pic.twitter.com/ejQBjlqkKV
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) August 18, 2020
His 16-year NHL career began as the first overall pick in the 1981 Entry Draft, included Rookie of the Year honours, and a total of 1,409 points including 518 goals in 1,188 career regular season games as a member of the Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, and Philadelphia Flyers. 929 of his points and 713 of his games were recorded as a Jet where he also served five seasons as captain and had his number 10 jersey retired.
Dale Hawerchuk was never one to seek the spotlight, but hockey fans knew he belonged on a very short list of the finest players of his era. pic.twitter.com/Yp7JphUt5R
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 18, 2020
Nearly a decade following his Hockey Hall of Fame induction in 2001, Hawerchuk joined the OHL’s Colts and spent nine seasons behind the bench where he carried an overall record of 305-269-38, won four Central Division titles, and contributed to the development of notable graduates like Aaron Ekblad (Florida Panthers), Mark Scheifele (Winnipeg Jets), Tanner Pearson (Vancouver Canucks), Kevin Labanc (San Jose Sharks), and Andrei Svechnikov (Carolina Hurricanes).